The Charge

Your mission, should you decide to accept it…

The Case

My crack Internet research skills tell me that the 1988 Fall TV season was
besieged by a writer's strike, forcing the highers-up to seek their small-screen
entertainment from the most economical sources possible.

Enter this brainstorm: Recycle established scripts from the old Mission: Impossible series, update them
to fit into the new decade, recast with several attractive actors, bring back
Peter Graves, and call it a day.

The end result is a transparently low-cost set of episodes that is rich with
'80s atmosphere (and visual effects) that somehow managed to make a huge impact
on a small group of teenager girls from Plymouth, NH.

See, my wife loved this show. And she had friends who loved it as
well. When the DVD set appeared on the assignment list, she nearly keeled over
with delight; it was the 1988 version of Mission:
Impossible!!!!!!

I wish I could share her enthusiasm. The show eluded me when it was first
aired, so this is my first time getting a taste of the worldwide sensations
(literally worldwide, as the series was the one of the first to be filmed in
Australia to save money). The short of it? Mission: Impossible '88 is
very much like most every overdone action show from the era, heavy on shoulder
pads and Aquanet, and light on storytelling and compelling action.

My favorite element of this optical time capsule is the Impossible Mission
Force technology. The writers opted to go bananas with the gadgets, allowing the
IMF and tech wizard Grant Collier (Phil Morris, Smallville) to produce scientific
advancements not even seen today. You get the trusty standby, the perfect human
mask, as well as some sweet proto-laptop usage. But as the booze and caffeine
pills no doubt flowed freely in the writers room, holograms and lasers made
appearances. In fact, that was the IMF's primary weapon of defeating the bad
guys: screwing with their heads using special effects. Hey, if it works, it
works.

Mission: Impossible '88 gives us 19 episodes on five discs,
transferred with very little fanfare in their original full frame aspect ratio,
supplemented by a 2.0 stereo mix. No extras.

While I'd just as soon use these discs as coasters for my flagons of Sierra
Mist, what kind of husband would I be to not to let my wife, who cherishes this
show, get in the last word…

Mission Impossible: The Forgotten Years. How could one of
the best shows of my childhood be unknown to the entire population, excluding me
and my neighborhood friends? We loved the show!

Who doesn't love a spy show starring attractive people set in exotic
locales, taking down bad guys on the sly? There were five of us neighborhood
kids of junior high age who loved it, probably because it went hand in hand with
"Top Secret," a role playing game similar to Mission:
Impossible that we played for hours on end. (Hey—we lived in a tiny
town without cable—we had to actually use our imaginations for our
entertainment!)

This show was on for two seasons, so I'm not sure why no one I mention it to
knows what I'm talking about; maybe everyone else lived somewhere that ABC
wasn't the only TV station that came in well and there was something better on
another channel? I still say they missed out. Upon re-watching, I will admit
that it's a tad on the slow side, and of course some episodes are better than
others…but I will never renounce the show—I loved it then, and it
still has a very special place in my heart.

Carey Johnson, 2011

The Verdict

Your mission, should you decide to except it, is find something else to do
with your time.